Few people are more qualified to judge the cinematic adaptations of Stephen King’s work than Stephen King himself. So, when the author points to a particular performance in a screen rendering of his literary output as noteworthy, we put plenty of stock in his assessment.
Though many would be quick to point to Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning turn as Annie Wilkes in Misery as the best performance in a King adaptation, King actually has a different take. Via the TCM documentary A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King, the Carrie author shared insights on various screen adaptations of his work, including his pick for the best performance from a film based on one of his books.
Stephen King says this is the best screen performance from one of his films:
Speaking regarding Cujo, King said: “Dee Wallace in that movie gave the best performance that I’ve ever seen in one of my movies. Dee Wallace probably deserved to be nominated as much, if not more, than Kathy Bates. It’s a performance that grows in my eye every time that I see it.”
That is quite the hot take. But I don’t necessarily disagree. Wallace is an underrated performer with a very impressive oeuvre. She is plenty versatile and has a dynamic range. What’s more, Cujo stands out as one of the high points of her storied career. Wallace effectively conveys a mother’s desperation and manages to come across as sympathetic, in spite of her character’s bout of infidelity.
If you’re game to pay the film a repeat visit, head over to AMC+ where you can find Cujo streaming as of the publication of this post.
The setup for this adaptation goes as follows:
In this tale of a killer canine, man’s best friend turns into his worst enemy. When sweet St. Bernard Cujo is bitten by a bat, he starts behaving oddly and becomes very aggressive. As Cujo morphs into a dangerous beast, he goes on a rampage in a small town. Stay-at-home mom Donna (Wallace) gets caught in Cujo’s crosshairs on a fateful errand with her son, Tad (Danny Pintauro). Stuck in their tiny car, Donna and Tad have a frightening showdown with the crazed animal.
That’s all we have for you at this juncture, dear reader. Stay tuned to Dread Central for more hot takes from your favorite creators in the genre space as we uncover them. Also, make sure to follow us on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter (I refuse to call it X) so you never miss out on one of our enlightening updates.
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